Finding the Self Through Shamanic Journeying
It is my belief that we all have a higher self, a soul, a true nature. We use that access to Self in parts work, in meditation, and in yoga.The Self is that core, undamaged essence within every human being. A beautiful concept. But for some of us the Self can feel like a myth, and accessing it can feel impossible.
When your "Parts" (perhaps the anxious achiever, the inner critic, or the sensory-overloaded protector) are running the show, the quiet qualities of the Self, our calm, curious, compassion inner being, can feel buried under a mountain of static noise and dysregulation.
But the Self isn't something you have to build - which feels much too much like work and doingness. It is something you have to uncover within a state of beingness.
I have found that blending this sense of the Self with shamanic journeying, or deep meditation, is the perfect way to access the qualities of Self. (I also use journeying to help me heal or unburden my exiled parts, but I’ll come to that another day).
Qualities of Self
The Self is like the sun. Even when it’s cloudy, the sun hasn't disappeared, it’s just hidden behind our clouds. The clouds are our parts, obscuring our true nature, our true Self, in fear, trauma, and challenges.
When we are in our Self energy, aligned with our true nature, we naturally embody:
Calm: A sense of groundedness, even in the midst of a storm.
Curiosity: A desire to understand why we feel the way we do, without judgment.
Compassion: Extending warmth to our struggling Parts, or the struggling Parts of others
Clarity: The ability to see the "bigger picture" of our lives, or where our suffering may be stemming from (burdened Parts who are having to work too hard)
For many of us, whether we’re neurodivergent, in perimenopause, stressed, anxious, or traumatised, the "static" of sensory overwhelm, demands, emotional dysregulation or executive dysfunction often feel like a permanent weather pattern. One we cannot escape from.
We’ve lost our sense of our true nature. Our calm, compassionate centre. We’ve lost our compass.
To find the sun, we sometimes need to leave the local atmosphere entirely. This is where I like to blend the ancient practices of Shamanic Journeying with modern psychology.
The Journey as a Somatic Bridge
Shamanic journeying uses a rhythmic drumbeat to induce a theta brainwave state. In theta brainwave state, we are able to reach the trance-like state of meditation. The drumming rhythm acts as an external pacemaker, calming the nervous system and providing a track for the mind to follow.
On our journey, we can find our place of power, or sacred grove, or sacred space. Whatever you choose to call it. This is more than simply imagining somewhere pretty and soothing you like to go to. You are accessing your brain’s neuroplasticity to create a somatic anchor where your parts feel safe enough to step back, giving the Self space to emerge.
Journeying to Your Sacred Space
This practice helps you experience Self energy by creating a subtle and gentle boundary between your core and the noise of your parts as they try so hard to protect you and keep you safe.
The Entry Point
Put on a steady, rhythmic shamanic drumming track that lasts around 15 minutes (available on most streaming platforms). Close your eyes or keep them softly focused on a single point if that feels safer.
Set your intention to travel to your sacred space. You can do this very simply by saying in your mind “I intend to travel to my sacred space to be with my higher Self”. Visualise a physical entrance into the earth, like a hollow tree, a cave, or even a pool of water.
The Descent
Imagine traveling down through this entrance until you reach a landscape that feels inherently safe and vibrant. This is your sacred space. It could be a forest of giant ferns, a mountaintop, or a futuristic sanctuary. It can be somewhere real you’ve been, or somewhere completely imaginary.
Encountering the Self
In this space, notice your physical sensations. In your sacred space the "static" of your Parts begins to thin, soften, and let go.
Feel the Calm: Notice the absence of the drive to be doing.
Invoke Curiosity: Look at the plants or stones in this world. Notice how it feels to observe them without needing to understand or make sense of them.
Experience the Compassion: Imagine the light in this place washing over your physical body, soothing the parts of you that are tired or overwhelmed.
This is you. Your true nature. These feelings of calm centredness are your true essence.
The Check-In
From this sacred space, look back toward your everyday life. See your anxious or overwhelmed Parts from a distance. Notice that from here, you can feel Clarity. You can see that those Parts are just trying to help, but they aren't you.
You are so much more than your stressed, anxious, or people pleasing parts. You are infinite. You are divine. You are energy. You are light.
Hold yourself in this space for a few moments longer. Feeling the gentle softening of your Parts. Allowing a deeper connection to your true nature.
Notice what else comes up here. You may get further sensations, visuals, or emotions that is your sacred space speaking to you, making a deep connection between your Self and this healing space.
The Return
When the drumming slows or changes pace, thank your sacred space. Know that you can come back here whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, depleted, or in need of a shift back to your Self energy.
Now, travel back up through your entrance and return to your body. Take a deep breath and wiggle your toes, rub the pads of your finger tips against the pads of your thumbs.
You are now carrying the qualities of Self back into the room with you.
Why This Works for Dysregulation
Traditional meditation asks you to clear the mind. This can feel like an almost impossible task for a neurodivergent brain wired for high-speed processing. Or a stressed brain running on empty. Or a traumatised brain that feels unsafe in silence.
Shamanic journeying gives the mind a job to do. It engages the imagination (the "visual cortex") and the hearing, providing enough "bottom-up" sensory input to keep the nervous system occupied while the "top-down" Self-energy takes the lead.
